Restorative effects of Silymarin milk thistle on the liver following paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in adult albino rats

Abstract

Background: Paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity has been on the rise worldwide and there is a need for restorative measures to counter its effect. Silymarin milk thistle is an herb that has been used for the treatment of liver conditions. This current study aimed at determining the restorative effects of silymarin milk thistle on the liver morphology and terminal body weight of paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity among albino rats.
 Methodology: This study was conducted at Maseno University, and a posttest-only experimental design was used. A total of 24 adult albino rats were randomly selected and grouped into four groups, each consisting of six albino rats. Positive control received (5 days of high-dose paracetamol 750mg/kbwt) and negative control received no drug intervention. Three experimental groups received high-dose paracetamol for five days and were thereafter given varying doses of silymarin milk thistle (low- dose group: 200 mg/kbwt, medium-dose: 400 mg/kbwt and high-dose: 600 mg/kbwt) of silymarin milk thistle. Gross liver morphological data and body weight were expressed as mean ± SEM. A one-way ANOVA analysis of variance was used to test the mean groups and a post hoc test was used to test the difference between the mean groups. A p ≤ 0.05 was found to have statistical significance at a 95% confidence interval.
 Results: This current study found that there was a significant (p≤ 0.0001) increase in mean weight, volume, length, and width of the liver in the high dose silymarin milk thistle group as compared to the positive control group. There was a significant (p≤ 0.0001) reduction in the terminal mean body weight of the rats in the positive control group, low dose silymarin group and the medium dose silymarin group respectively, as compared to the negative control group.
 Conclusion: Silymarin milk thistle was found to have restorative effects on the liver morphology and body weight following paracetamol toxicity at high dose.